Netflix Has New Category Highlighting the Black Experience in America

The events of recent weeks have brought to light that a lot of work still needs to be done before complete racial equality can be achieved in America. One part of that work? Educating ourselves on the experiences and history of Black Americans. Now, to honor the voices of Black storytellers, Netflix is announcing a new curated category exploring the Black experience in this country.

Yesterday, on June 10, Netflix announced the new category, which will consist of movies, TV shows and documentaries that aim to educate and encourage dialogue around Blackness in America. “When we say ‘Black Lives Matter,’ we also mean ‘Black storytelling matters,’” Netflix wrote on Twitter. “With an understanding that our commitment to true, systemic change will take time—we’re starting by highlighting powerful and complex narratives about the Black experience. When you log onto Netflix today, you will see a carefully curated list of titles that only begin to tell the complex and layered stories about racial injustice and Blackness in America.”

In the new category, viewers will find over 50 titles including Ava DuVernay’s 13th, When They See Us, Strong Island, Moonlight, Becoming and many more.

Netflix isn’t the only streaming service taking a stand. Amazon Prime Video has also introduced a “Black History, Hardship & Hope,” category, which includes titles like I Am Not Your Negro, Selma, Just Mercy, The Central Park Five and more.

Earlier this week, HBO Max also pulled Gone With the Wind from its platform due to its portrayal of slavery and the Civil War South. A spokesperson for HBO Max told CNN the movie is, “a product of its time and depicts some of the ethnic and racial prejudices that have, unfortunately, been commonplace in American society. These racist depictions were wrong then and are wrong today, and we felt that to keep this title up without an explanation and a denouncement of those depictions would be irresponsible.”

The movie will be returning to HBO Max once it includes adequate discussion of its historical context and a denouncement of those depictions.

To check out Netflix’s new category, visit Netflix.com/blacklivesmatter. For more films on racial injustice that everyone should watch, check out this list.

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